


There and Back Again Part 8

by Carisa_Ironfell



Series: There and Back Again [8]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Armor-plated snuggles, Awkward Flirting, Battle of Five Armies - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Dwarf Courting, First Kiss, Gen, Ha!, He knows what he's doing, Helping your partner out of their armor is way too flirtatious, IT'S NOT EVENTUAL ANYMORE IT FINALLY HAPPENED, M/M, Sort of..., Thorin's not as dumb as we thought, like always, matching outfits, oh yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21675340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carisa_Ironfell/pseuds/Carisa_Ironfell
Summary: Thorin and Bilbo take a break and finally get to talk. It's about time. Much awkwardness ensues, of course, but it all works out in the end.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Series: There and Back Again [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559959
Comments: 15
Kudos: 145





	There and Back Again Part 8

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, this is the end. It's been a very interesting few days of posting. :) Thanks for coming along with us on this up-and-down rollercoaster of a series. :)

Bilbo could still hear the crowd outside the pavilion, but it was at a distance and he could tune it out. He managed to fling off his fancy cape, but the numerous buckles and straps of his armor confounded him. He might have to keep it on, even though the plates made comfortable lounging difficult.

Thorin smiled. “Let me help you,” he said and hauled Bilbo back to his feet. The hobbit stood awkwardly as Thorin began unbuckling the armor.

“I thought I had to wear it all day,” he said, unable to come up with anything else.

“You’ve made a grand entrance. No one could blame you for putting it aside in favor of something more suited to you,” Thorin replied. The deep rumble of his voice went straight through Bilbo’s chest and made him shiver.

Thorin barely touched him, but Bilbo’s skin tingled with how close he stood. His heart pounded, but his fingers felt cold and stiff.

“Ah, yes, I suppose,” he said vaguely. Why had his mind gone so blank? Normally he was slightly better at making conversation. His leg twitched as Thorin deftly unbuckled the armor protecting his shin. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard Thorin laugh.

Confound it, if this carried on much longer, he was going to do something drastic.

Finally, the only bit of armor left was the pieces on Bilbo’s forearms, bracers, Dori had called them. Without the armor, Bilbo would have felt nicely light in his simple shirt and pants, but Thorin stood only a handspan in front of him and Bilbo felt like Smaug had set him on fire.

With a light touch, Thorin raised his left arm to loosen the laces keeping the bracer in place. Bilbo couldn’t stop his hand from shaking slightly. Thorin’s gaze moved from his work to Bilbo’s face and he couldn’t read the emotions there. 

Without stopping to think it through, Bilbo stepped forward, reaching up only to find Thorin sliding downward. Their lips met and pressed together.

Nothing Bilbo’s life came close to the euphoria that shot through him. He tilted his head back and let Thorin pull him closer. In the back of his mind, he knew the lack of air would catch up with him, but he didn’t care. Nothing mattered but Thorin.

At length, they finally broke apart. Bilbo leaned against Thorin’s breastplate and listened to the ragged breathing on top of his head. Funny, he’d been deathly nervous a moment ago. Now he only felt silly. All of this could have been over if he’d seized his courage with both hands and said something to Thorin.

“Surely you are made of sterner stuff than any Dwarf I’ve known,” Thorin said hoarsely, easing a half-step away from Bilbo.

“How could you possibly say that?’ Bilbo said, unable to help a smile anyway. “There’s nothing Dwarf-like about me.”

“Any Dwarf would have known what I was about this morning,” Thorin said and shook his head. “I relied overmuch on Balin’s conspiracy. I thought they would have told you what to expect.” He traced a finger along Bilbo’s bracer, but made no move to resume taking it off.

“They didn’t tell me anything. Our last ‘council of war’ ended with a fight over a sandwich. Is it important?” Bilbo was beginning to feel confused. Had he been dense and missed something?

“For my people, when you wish to court someone, it is customary to craft an item for their use. My father crafted my mother the most enchanting windchime of silver and gold. It was perfectly balanced and would chime at the lightest touch. He told me it took him four years to perfect.” Thorin’s eyes got distant, but Bilbo didn’t mind. He’d never heard so much about Thrain and Thorin had been silent on the subject of his mother.

“I crafted these, whenever I had time. The copper inlay came near to driving me mad.” Thorin gently turned Bilbo’s arm to show him the delicate figures of birds and leaves that Bilbo had admired when he’d first seen them. “My patience for metal is like that of any other Dwarf, but my memory for living things falls short. Once I was fit to leave my bed, I stayed for days underground. I feared my sickness had left me unworthy to see the sun again. Kili finally coaxed me out, to see the first snowdrops. The sight of them made me turn to see your face, but you had long since gone.”

Bilbo felt a flush of shame. “I shouldn’t have,” he said quietly.

Thorin gently lifted his chin and Bilbo was surprised to see him still smiling.

“If you had stayed, would I have been so desperate to prove myself worthy of you?” he asked, barely above a whisper. “How many can say they crossed half a world to claim a love that slipped through their fingers?”

Love. Bilbo was never going to forget how Thorin’s voice sounded around that word. He smiled.

“Well, what do dwarves do when the item is presented?” he asked, resuming his seat in the nice nest of cushions.

Thorin joined him, taking care to pad his armor with his fur so that nothing stabbed into Bilbo. “My mother kept her windchime on the mantle. It was one of the first things visitors saw when they came to call. My sister received a hair comb of diamond and I have not seen her without it since. If the suit is acceptable, the gift is worn or displayed so that the commitment is clear to all who care to see it.”

“I’ll have to learn to put these on myself, then,” Bilbo said. His mind began spinning with ideas. There had to be something he could do in return. Hobbits didn’t make much of courtship. Gifts of food or flowers were really all anyone needed, but he wanted to do something special.

Thorin beamed. “That will please our friends. Perhaps Kili and Fili will stop lurking around corners to ambush me with more arguments in your favor.”

“And coming up with reasons to leave us alone together,” Bilbo agreed. He was sure he could come up with enough reasons on his own now.

Thorin sighed. “I’m needed back at the celebration. When you’re ready, you’ll find something in the corner. It doesn’t do for a hero to be seen in his shirtsleeves.” He pressed a kiss on Bilbo’s temple and departed. A resounding cheer rose as the people saw him, Bilbo assumed.

He stayed put for a while, examining his bracers and admiring the design Thorin had worked so hard on. No one had ever done something like that for him before. He really would have to come up with something special in return.

Still, he couldn’t stay hidden all day. He got up and went looking for whatever he was expected to wear this time. He found a short-sleeved tunic of deep green, stitched with what he suspected was real gold and silver thread. A silver belt accompanied it, studded with green gems. Over that was draped a robe lined with grey fur that bore a striking resemblance to the one Thorin was wearing. Its sleeves would only reach to his elbows. Bilbo smiled. Thorin was certainly making sure people would be able to see his gift.

Bilbo resolved not to disappoint him.

**Author's Note:**

> You thought I wasn't going to credit the author on the last story? (I mean, you probably didn't think that, but I'm being silly) You thought wrong!!! I didn't write this masterpiece. My sister did. She's awesome and I love her. :) Thank you so very much for reading, and we hope you enjoy the last story! And that you've enjoyed the series thus far, of course! :) <3


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